News 07:00

BULLETIN 4 June 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament will abide by the court ruling on John Hlophe
# The International Air Transport Association forecasts stronger profits in 2025
# And cricket: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the IPL champions

# Parliament says it is committed to abiding by the Western Cape High Court judgment on MK Party’s John Hlophe designation as one of six MPs to serve on the Judicial Service Commission. The court found that the National Assembly’s decision was neither lawful nor rational, considering Hlophe’s impeachment as a judge. Parliament’s spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, says they note the interpretative guidance offered by the court regarding the relevant constitutional provisions governing the designation of MPs to the JSC:

# The International Air Transport Association projects global airline net profits will rise to 644-billion-rand in 2025, up from 57-billion-rand last year. IATA director-general Willie Walsh says lower jet fuel prices and increased passenger demand are boosting margins, despite global market uncertainties. Walsh estimates that passenger numbers could reach approximately five-billion, and total revenue is expected to hit 17-trillion-rand. However, he warned that while profitability is improving, it remains vulnerable to shocks like taxes or regulatory changes.

# The DA in Gauteng says the 886.6-million-rand added to the provincial budget will not make a significant difference in the quality of life and service delivery for residents. MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, re-tabled the provincial budget for the 2025/2026 financial year on Tuesday. Changes had to be made to bring it in line with amended national allocations. The DA’s, Ruhan Robinson, says it is concerning that no additional funding was allocated to the Health Department:

# A former Delmas Primary School financial officer, Larrisa Vern, has been sentenced to ten-years in prison after pleading guilty to 94 counts of fraud and 555 counts of money laundering. The Hawks exposed Vern after a whistleblower reported suspicious bonus payments. Vern defrauded the school of nearly 2.8-million-rand between 2022 and 2024. She returns to court on Thursday for the Asset Forfeiture Unit’s proceedings.

# Ukraine says it hit the Kerch Bridge linking Russia to Crimea with underwater explosives. This marks the third time that Kyiv has targeted the bridge since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine’s security service says it used one-thousand-100 kilograms of explosives, which severely damaged the underwater pillars supporting the bridge. It adds that the attack also struck 34-percent of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers, which have been used to hit Ukrainian cities throughout the war.

# Cricket: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated the Punjab Kings by six runs to win their maiden Indian Premier League title. Virat Kohli top-scored with 43 as RCB posted 190 for nine in their 20 overs. In reply, despite Shashank Singh’s unbeaten 61, Punjab were restricted to 184 for seven. Kohli, who is the only player to have played for one team in all 18 IPL seasons, says this win is as much for the fans as it is for the team:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-84-cents and the euro at 20-rand-31-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-15-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-526-dollar-10-cents. Gold sells at three-thousand-367-dollars-18-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….